《System Breaker》 Chapter 1: The Howl [Suitable host body found.] [Beginning transfer.] [Warning.] [The world has detected foreign interference.] [Initiating safety protocols.] [Wiping user''s memory...] Richard woke up screaming. The voice that came out of his mouth sounded bizarre and alien in his ears, heightening the terror gripping his heart. He was surrounded by complete darkness. He tried to struggle, to break free from this nightmare, but he couldn¡¯t move or even feel his body. There was only the immaculate blackness and the reverberating shrill shriek, its pitch and intensity constantly rising, the fear and desperation it carried piercing his soul. ¡°Young Master!¡± Suddenly, a door opened and a figure carrying a candlestick came in. The warm, flickering light of the candle broke through the dark prison, but the horror that took hold of him wouldn¡¯t be banished that easily. Richard continued screaming like a man possessed. The feeling of wrongness, of encountering some unspeakable, incomprehensible horror, something that shouldn¡¯t ever exist continued to wreak havoc in his mind, every second pushing him a step closer to a complete mental breakdown. ¡°What¡¯s going on! What¡¯s happened to the Young Master!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! I came in as soon as I heard him shouting!¡± More people barged into the room, aghast and stupefied by the inhuman howling that was coming from Richard¡¯s mouth. Abruptly, the sound came to an end. But before anyone could grow used to the sudden arrival of silence, a new sound emerged from Richard¡¯s throat. This one was fainter, bubbling, akin to the noise one makes when they¡¯re drinking a soda through a straw and the liquid is about to run out. ¡°Lord! There¡¯s blood coming from his mouth!¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to suffocate!¡± The servants in the room broke into a panic. Some of the handmaidens were unable to cope with the horrific situation any longer and started screaming themselves, whereas the butler together with one of the guards rushed to Richard''s side in a frantic attempt to help. Still, they were so panicked themselves that their actions lacked any rhyme or reason and were of no help whatsoever. ¡°Move aside!¡± A commanding voice broke through the pandemonium. A tall, middle aged man walked into the chambers and without hesitation pushed aside the two men ineffectively trying to stop the blood coming from Richard''s mouth.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The man quickly positioned Richard on his side, but soon his brows furrowed. Though the risk that the youth would suffocate was lessened, a single glance revealed to him that whatever had caused his student¡¯s howling didn¡¯t go away. The boy has ruptured his vocal cords, was choking on blood, and yet his body continued in its compulsion to force even more screams out. This couldn¡¯t continue. The man hesitated, his hands instinctively reaching for a pouch hanging from his belt and stopping. There was a vial of healing potion there, a life saving treasure he had acquired by luck a few years back. He hasn¡¯t had any need for it ever since he came to the barony to tutor the young heir, but judging by the circumstances, his life of leisure was coming to an end. He could only hope that if it was what it looked like, the attack was perpetrated by one of Richard¡¯s siblings and not the baron himself. That it was an attack, the man had little doubt. No nightmare or natural illness could have an effect like that. In the end his hesitation lasted only a few seconds and went unnoticed by anyone else present in the room. The man couldn¡¯t quite force himself to just stand there and do nothing while the boy he spent the past three years tutoring was dying in front of his eyes. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to reveal something that even the baron would grow envious of in front of the servants. The women might be on the verge of fainting from fright right now, but the second this whole ruckus was over, they¡¯d be running over themselves to sell the news for a favor. As for the butler, he might even prioritise this information over the heir¡¯s condition when he reported to the baron and whoever else he was supplying with information. ¡°Move aside! I need space!¡± the man roared once again, faking outrage to violently toss the two men away from the bed. Then he deliberately made a large motion as he took out an amulet from his pouch. The small vial containing the healing potion was hidden beneath his palm. He grabbed Richard''s body, putting the youth in an upright position so that the potion would go down his throat. Simultaneously, he sat down on the bed in such a way as to conceal his actions from the surrounding people with his back. He placed the talisman on youth¡¯s forehead and activated his skill [Power Infusion]. Normally, it was supposed to be used on weapons, and weapons of the second grade at least. Anything else wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the surging energies and instead of having its power strengthened, it would crumble into dust. The talisman wasn¡¯t anything close to the intended target of the skill. In fact, it was a simple charming talisman that animal trainers used to soothe newly captured beasts. Still, it looked mysterious enough and the man doubted any of these commoners could see through what it was. As the skill activated, waves of energy began to enter the amulet. It quickly became suffused with mysterious light and as the man poured even more power into the amulet, the light¡¯s intensity rapidly grew, transforming into a brilliant radiance. He could hear some new shouts coming from behind him, the servants¡¯ voices this time filled with awe and amazement. He waited until the talisman was on the verge of breaking and in one quick motion poured half of the vial down the youth¡¯s throat. Less than a second later the talisman reached its breaking point and with a last blinding flash of light, it crumbled into fine dust. This time even the butler let out a scream, assuaging the man¡¯s last fears of someone having seen through the subterfuge. He focused on his student¡¯s face. He had seen other people using the healing potion before and knew what to expect. Supposedly, even his own life was once saved by its miraculous powers, though in his own case he was unconscious at the time and always harbored suspicions that his savor made up the story about the potion to increase the debt of gratitude. It was gradual, but as the minutes slowly passed by, the boy¡¯s face that was previously stretched by pain, relaxed. The body that was trembling, grew calm. The man sighed in relief. As for Richard, though he was still unconscious, if he were to open his eyes, he¡¯d see a small notification in the corner of his vision. [System successfully initialized.] Chapter 2: The Investigation Begins ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Young Master¡¯s condition appears to be stable. Thankfully sir Gunterson was abl-¡± ¡°This is not what I¡¯m asking you.¡± ¡°My Lord, I-¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Baron interrupted the sweating butler mid-sentence. ¡°You know what I mean. Who was it?¡± ¡°My lord!¡± the butler exclaimed, ¡°If I had any idea, I¡¯d immediately inform you!¡± Baron didn¡¯t say anything, simply letting the silence hang in the air. The butler knew that he had to say something, to quickly counter the unsaid accusation that grew more damning with every second, but he discovered that his mind was completely blank. All the arguments he had prepared beforehand were gone. It took all his courage just to meet the gaze of the man he¡¯s served for all his life Finally, the deep timbre of baron¡¯s voice resounded again. It was flat and detached, like of someone going over the accounts. ¡°Your family has been with us for quite a long time. I think it must be fifty years since that time when your father was invited to serve here. That would make for close to three generations of you and your relatives that we fed and housed.¡± The butler grew pale as he realized the direction the baron¡¯s thoughts were taking, yet he could do nothing but maintain his silence, desperately hoping that what he feared most would not come. ¡°Your sons had the privilege of sitting in at the classes I have arranged for my children,¡± baron continued, seemingly oblivious to the rivulets of sweat pouring down the butler¡¯s face. ¡°One of them has even found himself a seat at the town council. Your daughter has the honor of serving as the personal handmaiden to the heir. And yet it appears that was not enough for you.¡± ¡°My lord! I-¡± ¡°Ever since the question of succession came into being, your family started moving, spreading around. Your son started following Charles like a fly after honey and I haven¡¯t said a word. You even sent another of your daughters to my youngest and still I haven¡¯t said a word.¡± ¡°My lord! I just-¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say such eagerness is something I look favourably upon,¡± the baron said. ¡°But I figured you had some right to prepare. In your own way.¡± There was a brief moment of silence as the baron apparently considered something. ¡°But now I have changed my mind. Back then, those fifty years ago, when your father was first brought here, he didn¡¯t know anything. He couldn¡¯t read, embarrassed everyone, once he even started a fire that nearly burned the whole house down. But he did understand one thing extremely well. The magnitude of the favor that my father had bestowed upon him.¡± Though the baron¡¯s expression remained as impassive as before, there was now a flicker of light in his eyes, a spark that could start a fire. ¡°You seem to have misunderstood your position. The issue of succession is not something that you have any right to even consider. The mere thought that my servant might have entertained the idea of influencing who will lead my family after I¡¯m gone is laughable. But here we have someone who¡¯s not only considering it, but even taking direct action.¡± The baron¡¯s monotone baritone suddenly grew an edge. ¡°Someone who took it upon himself to try and assassinate my son.¡± The butler laid on the ground trembling, too terrified to speak a word. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°I swear, I¡¯d never dare!¡± ¡°And yet someone did. I have to wonder, your servants are all around the house and haven''t noticed anything? You want me to believe that one of my sons, who you control so intimately, has managed to not only obtain poison but also to administer it, all without you discovering anything?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Silence. ¡°Who was the last person to enter Richard¡¯s chambers?¡± ¡°It, it was Mary, my Lord.¡± ¡°And yet from what I hear she wasn¡¯t in his bed when the attack happened?¡± ¡°My Lord! I swear on my life she would never-¡± ¡°Enough. Get out and send the wench in.¡± The butler raised himself from the floor. His mostly bald head was dripping with sweat. He left the baron¡¯s gabinet and gently closed the door behind him. Then he tried moving a few more steps and quickly grabbed the nearby wall for balance. He looked at his hands. They were trembling and no matter what he did he couldn¡¯t calm them down. His heart was pounding. There was a measure of truth in what baron had just said to him. He did grow up in safety and comfort that made it difficult for him to consider himself a simple commoner. His late father had often harangued him with long tales of misery and destitute that marked his own childhood, but it wasn¡¯t something that the butler could ever relate to on a personal level. Still, even if he never fully understood his father¡¯s experiences, he had a very clear understanding of the status his position conferred upon him. The richest merchants would greet him with the deepest courtesy. And on the rare occasion he¡¯d be tasked with surveying the farmlands, the experience was akin to visiting a foreign country. It was sometimes difficult to even consider serfs members of the same species. Countless villages filled with dirty, small people. Dim and half mute, just repeating ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord.¡± to whatever he said, as if these were the only two words in their vocabulary. His own childhood was markedly different. He and the baron grew up together, and although he served as his attendant, he naturally started considering the boy he spent most of his life with as something of a brother. That was his father¡¯s arrangement, or rather, he understood it now, the former baron¡¯s arrangement. The butler pushed his fingers through the sparse hair still adorning his head, trying to fix it up. A few strands of hair, mostly grey, stuck to his fingers. He and the baron might have grown up together, but while the latter still had the physique of a man in his early forties, his own looks didn¡¯t hold up half as well. And he felt fear. Because suddenly, at the moment he was lying on the floor of baron¡¯s gabinet, praying for mercy, he had realised that that man was no brother of his, and he must have been mad to ever consider him so. That man could order execution of his whole family and it would not warrant even a change of expression. Just on a whim or faintest of suspicions. He just couldn¡¯t do anything about those hands! If only they stopped trembling, he could concentrate. No, I can¡¯t dally. If I don¡¯t send in Mary immediately, the baron will grow even more suspicious. He rushed to the servants quarters and barged into the room where his daughter lived. Mary and some other handmaidens were sitting on their beds whispering excitedly. Mary¡¯s face was no longer pale, but rather slightly pink as she conversed happily with other girls. Her relaxed nonchalance drove the butler furious. How could she not realize the situation they were in! Their whole family was on the brink of disaster and there she was happily yapping away as if discussing the latest piece of gossip from town! ¡°Everyone but Mary, get out!¡± the butler roared. The other servant girls immediately grew pale and promptly exited the room. Some tried to hang around the doorway, spying curiously at the newest commotion, but the butler slammed the door shut. He looked at his daughter. ¡°Where were you tonight?¡± ¡°I was with the Young Master as alwa-¡± ¡°Stop lying, you stupid brat! Do you not realize the situation you¡¯re in!¡± ¡°Papa! I swear I was with the Young Master! I swear! You have to believe me!¡± Oh Lord, have mercy, what have I done to deserve such a stupid child. ¡°Tell me! Did you put anything in Master¡¯s food!¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯re scaring me!¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± ¡°No, I promise!¡± She promises again. Lord, have mercy. ¡°Listen now,¡± the butler said slowly, doing his best not to strangle his heretofore favorite daughter. ¡°You¡¯re going to be questioned by the baron now. Remember: you haven¡¯t put anything in Master¡¯s food. You have done everything as always. As for where you were when he-¡± The door suddenly opened. ¡°I have told no one to interrupt me!¡± the butler roared at the intruder. ¡°I beg your forgiveness,¡± an amused chuckle came from the middle aged man standing at the doorway. ¡°It¡¯s just that baron grew rather tired of waiting, so he sent me to look for Mary as well. And having chanced on an opportunity to finally learn where Mary disappeared to during the night, I couldn¡¯t help letting myself in. The butler¡¯s whole body shook as he stared at Richard¡¯s tutor. Still, Gunterson had little interest in tormenting the man. He simply turned to the girl and said: ¡±Come with me, Mary. The baron wishes to speak with you.¡° Chapter 3: Marys Secret Mary followed sir Gunterson in silence. Her father might have believed her to be an airhead and a ditz, but the truth was she was as terrified as anyone. First she was jolted out of bed by that inhuman shriek that shook the whole house. When she realized where the sound was coming from, she rushed in panic to the Young Master¡¯s chambers, only to find him screaming like a demon. And then there was the blood. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s seen someone bleed of course. Every now and again the family soldiers would be deployed to clear out bandits or magical beasts, and when they came back she and the other servant girls would spy on them. Sometimes the men returned raucous, singing bawdy songs that you could hear a kilometer away, other times they plodded back in grim silence. What never changed was that they returned bloody. There would be a horrid aura hanging around them that left Mary frightened, but seemingly held a fascination for her other friends. Still, it was the first time she had seen someone bleed in such a horrifying manner. This whole night was like a terrible nightmare, only this one you didn¡¯t wake up from but rather woke up into. And it seemed that this nightmare was far from over. Mary had never seen her father acting this way before. In a way, it was even more disturbing than what had happened to the Young Master. The man who used to be like a tall, sturdy pillar looked like he aged ten years in a single night. He was trembling all over, and his body stunk of sweat and fear. Mary hated herself for thinking that way about her own father, but she couldn¡¯t stop it. She hated that it wasn¡¯t even an hour that one horror ended and another began, and this one even more terrifying than the first. Far worse in fact, because she had no idea what the danger was, why her father was so scared, and why she herself should feel so scared. She obediently followed sir Gunterson, her head kept low, futilely trying to stop the tears that kept welling in her eyes. She didn¡¯t even realize that the man she was following had stopped, and was now standing next to the baron, both men studying her in silence. ¡°Mary, look at me.¡± Gunterson said. She obediently raised her head. More tears flowed from her eyes. ¡°Why are you crying, Mary? Are you worried about Richard?¡± ¡°Nnoo¡­ I mean, yes!¡± In reality she had completely forgotten about the Young Master. Sir Gunterson showed a faint smile. As for the baron, who stood next to him, his face remained impassive. ¡°Mary, you need to tell us everything that happened last night.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ah, y-y-es.¡± Mary found it difficult to speak, her chin was trembling too much. With her eyes glued to the heavy carpet adorning the floor of baron¡¯s gabinet, a skin taken of some powerful beast, she finally managed to squeak out a sentence. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t put anything in Master¡¯s food and then didn¡¯t leave him the whole night!¡± This time there was a change in baron¡¯s face, but it went unnoticed by Mary who was too terrified to look up. The baron was about to speak, but Gunterson whispered something to him, making the man settle down again. ¡°Mary.¡± Gunterson tried again. ¡°Do you know why we¡¯re questioning you?¡±. The girl trembled. ¡°B-because you think that I left Young Master¡¯s chambers, but I swear I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Mary, tonight someone attempted to murder the Young Master.¡± Mary¡¯s eyes went wide as saucers. ¡°Who was it?¡± Gunterson had to swallow a curse. Questioning a terrified servant girl wasn¡¯t exactly what he signed up for, but given the circumstances he couldn¡¯t talk himself out of offering the baron at least some modicum of help. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to find out, Mary.¡± Gunterson said patiently. ¡°We know you had nothing to do with it, but someone might have attempted to use you to get to Richard, that¡¯s why we need to know everything that has happened for the past few days.¡± The relief that was painted on Mary¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be faked. She quickly cleaned the tears and snot from her face and went on to describe in great detail the minutiae of her day, her speech growing more fluent as her body visibly relaxed. Gunterson had to stifle a laugh seeing the transformation. He supposed that seeing the measure of relief the news of someone trying to take Richard¡¯s life brought to the little girl wouldn¡¯t be counted as a positive in baron¡¯s eyes, but in her circumstances it was the best way to prove her innocence. If the whole transformation was an act from beginning to end, then that little girl wast the best actress he had ever seen. Baron listened in silence. Judging by his expression, Gunterson guessed correctly that the man wasn¡¯t amused seeing the clear joy painted on Mary¡¯s face. Mary continued to narrate her whole day, blissfully unaware of the growing frown on baron¡¯s face. From her words it would seem that everything was as always. No one offered her any new items or spices to add to Young Master¡¯s food, and she didn¡¯t come into contact with any talismans either. ¡°Enough.¡± baron interrupted her. ¡°Tell me why you weren¡¯t at my son¡¯s bed when he was attacked.¡± The girl trembled again. Her first instinct was to deny again, but hearing the baron¡¯s tone she couldn¡¯t quite muster the needed courage. ¡°I¡­¡± she started and stopped again. It wasn¡¯t that she had anything to do with what happened to the Young Master. But the question touched upon her greatest and most precious secret! Something even her dad didn¡¯t know anything about! Mary was in love. And the boy she had fallen in love with was... Richard¡¯s younger brother.